"We visited beer gardens in Europe and Brooklyn, and thought it would be a fun concept to bring to downtown Fairfield," said Auer, who also co-owns nearby Centro Ristorante with Dederick. "Everyone loves dining outside, so we thought we'd take advantage of the weather and our great setting by opening up at night with the beer garden concept."

The Firehouse Beer Garden will be open 6 to 9:30 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays, during the warmer months. The deli will continue to operate on its usual daytime schedule throughout the week.

The garden, decked out with umbrellas, flowers and flags, has 25 craft beers on tap, such as Arrogant Bastard, Stone IPA and Brooklyn Pilsner. Three draft beers will change every couple of weeks, and there is also a selection of wine and homemade sangria, Auer said.

Despite its German theme, the new beer garden can become a destination for a variety of quality beers and great food, said Linda Kavanagh, director of the New England Culinary Group, an organization focused on supporting the restaurant industry.

"It doesn't need to be held so close to the German culture," she said. "People can take from it what they will."